Role of Sustainable Urban Development Indices in Organizing the Declined Urban Areas (Case Study: Neighborhood Alighapoo Ardabil)

Introduction In the recent decades urban old neighbourhoods have been forgotten. Most of traditional fabricates were the honor of their cities are facing decay more than 50 years. Nearly population of all these regions was relocated. The special cultural, social and historical heritages in different sectors were expired or are in extinction stage. Just few buildings stand or remained difficultly as memorial and they are memory of past urbanization and architecture. In old regions of cities and central districts,  modernisation didn’t happen and the mentioned regions have had hard resistance against the modernisation expressions which cause to non-implementation reforming and repair. Therefore, the designing consequences and construction criteria are main barriers leading to increasing decay in traditional fabricates.  In order to make precise analysis of the issue; Ali Qapoo neighbourhood in Ardebil was selected as one of the old neighbourhoods with high decay issue. Ali Qapoo old fabricate neighbourhood has been located in down town of Ardebil city. This neighbourhood has faced with problems such as urban decline and cases such as physical decay of fabricates, low crossing width, lack of attention to resident’s cooperation in enacted reforming plan implementation, resident’s economic problems, urban management inequality and conflicts. Current research tries to discover Ardebil city old area and Ali Qapoo neighbourhood by determining accurate cases of hidden angles. Ali Qapoo old neighbourhood in Ardebil city just such as other decayed fabricates in our country is in need for renovation surveys and old fabricates revival. One of the basic and logical surveys is to focus on stable development to local reforming and renovation. Surveys such as resident’s social cooperation, living environment quality, use of native materials to fabricate reforming and renovation and capability are preferences and main necessities. Methodology This research is combined with field and descriptive methods by applied survey and comparative study. This is a descriptive-analytical research in methodology. At first, the sustainable main criteria and indices were determined especially for old fabricates and urban places using library studies and field researches. Thus, 17 main criteria were refined for the research framework as economic, social and environmental patterns. Questionnaire tool were used to gather data. Using the questionnaire, we examined the statistics and required information and entered them into computer by EXCEL. Classified data and statistics and scoring of indices were investigated by experts in Expert Choice software in order to study Ali Qapoo neighbourhood sustainability in Ardebil city. Various coefficients and indices were determined for sustainability of the mentioned neighbourhood. One of indices has special weight based on importance which it presents validity according to score in sustainability criteria. Results and discussion By exploring the detailed plan and statistics of Ardebil city and acquairing viewpoints of experts and administers of organizations; scoring of the indices and criteria was implemented by Expert Choice to compute their relative proportion in total amounts. Among physical indices, building age index (A3) with score 0.557 is a main criterion to investigate Ali Qapoo old neighbourhood. Among economical indices, activity situation criterion (B5) with score 0.546 is a main criterion to investigate Ali Qapoo old tissue neighbourhood. The family household congestion in residential unit (C1) with score 0.373 is a main criterion to investigate Ali Qapoo old neighbourhood. Also, among environmental indices; rubbish and garbage excretion (D2) with score 0.665 is a main criterion to investigate Ali Qapoo old tissue neighbourhood.      In general, scoring of economic, social, environmental and physical indices can be used to determine the main basis of sustainable development of each fabricate. In current research for Ali Qappo neighbourhood, social index was recognized as a main factor for achieving sustainable development. We conclude that in the process of neighbourhood regeneration and reaching to urban sustainable development; we must prefer social indices and with regard to research analysis, environmental indices are located in next rank. They should be investigated in mentioned subjects.    Conclusion According to the results of this research, constant urban growth and urbanization in recent years lead to contemporary urbanization faced with new problems and challenges. Paradigm of urban sustainable development has originated from human thought to such challenges. It is a part of valid solutions in current era. Urban sustainable development without required infrastructure isn’t possible and the best pattern to sustainable development infrastructures is using existence and inefficient urban spaces, which called urban old or foreworn fabricates. In first stage of current research, we investigated traceable dimensions in urban development theories. We used inferential indices weighting in research factors and at last, preferred indices or criteria were determined to present related policies and subject’s coverage.   Results showed that, garbage excretion, building age, activities position and household congestion in residential unit had high scores among social, environmental, physical and economic indices. Also, we conclude that, garbage excretion, building age, activities position, household congestion in residential unit and social dimension have main importance about sustainable development of old and foreworn fabricates.